400 
THROUGH ASIA 
south of it flows into the Yarkand-daria. All the streams 
which we crossed in the further course of our journey had 
eroded fairly deep channels in the lower slopes of the 
mountain ; the which slopes consisted of detritus and old 
moraines, rounded and levelled down, strewn with occa- 
sional blocks of gneiss, and sometimes embellished with 
tiny meadows. On our left the rocky mountain-walls 
dipped abruptly under the detritus slopes, and were 
crowned by several sharp crests. On the same side too 
the Kok-sel glacier issued from an enormous couloir. The 
moraine was of an extraordinary size, and was strewn with 
ISLAM BAI AND TWO KIRGHIZ WITH THE PLANE-TABLE 
ON THE CHUM-KAR-KASHKA GLACIER 
gigantic boulders of gneiss ; whilst its stream was fed from 
several directions. We now found that the further we 
went m a we.sterly direction, the smaller were the glaciers 
and the larger the old moraines. This is no doubt due to 
the greater energy of the agents of dissolution on the 
southern than on the northern versant. 
On September 21st we made a long circuit round the 
Ijase of the mountain towards the east-south-east and east, 
as far as the glacier-stream of the Sar-aghil glaciers, and 
on the 22nd we passed the Shevar-aghil and Gherdumbeh 
glaciers. Both the.se were inaccessible, owing to the in- 
surmountable moraine-walls which surrounded them ; not 
